I was introduced to Cowboy Cookies several years ago by browsing through the New York Times recipes, and I’m glad I stumbled upon it because I have enjoyed it ever since. The Cowboy Cookie recipe come from Laura Bush – it was her submission in a Family Circle magazine cookie contest back in 2000, against Tipper Gore’s ginger snaps. Laura Bush’s recipe won and here it is. These cookies freeze well and great to serve with a couple scoops of ice cream and chocolate sauce. It’s an easy dessert to pull out of the freezer when you have guests over.

Cowboy Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups unsweetened flake coconut

2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. In a very large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in sugars, and combine thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing three inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies from rack to cool. Makes 3 to 3 1/2 dozen.

Sweet Notes: A few things about this recipe are large, including the amount of dough and cookies it makes so you may want to cut the recipe in half. Then, using the 1/4 cup for the cookies makes very large cookies. I like them and think they make a nice dessert but Scott prefers a smaller size so we have the Scott size and it’s about 1/8 cup. I still use the 1/4 cup but just fill it up about half way. It works too!

Bita Arabian, a good friend and fellow blogger has introduced the California Cranberry Cowboy Cookies, a modified version of Laura Bush’s Cowboy Cookies – feel free to visit her blog, Oven Hug, to take a look.